Questions tagged [genitive]
For questions about the genitive case.
66
questions
5
votes
1
answer
212
views
Sub specie precariae linguae or sub specie linguae precariae?
This is a rather small doubt, but I'm currently a bit confused regarding the proper word order of an adjective-noun under a genitive form of the sort "sub specie..." Am I correct in assuming ...
- 53
7
votes
1
answer
121
views
Do we use "satis multum" + genitive to convey "a sufficient amount of"?
The following sentence comes from lines 126-128 of chapter XVI of Lingua latina per se illustrata. Familia Romana:
Nāvis aquā implērī incipit, neque enim nautae satis multum aquae haurīre possunt.
...
- 1,736
5
votes
3
answers
258
views
How to Translate "His is better"
So I too was confused about the difference between suus and eius, and came across this question and its great answers.
TL,DR; suus refers back to the subject of the main clause as the possessor, ...
- 287
3
votes
3
answers
179
views
How to identify the noun declension
I am just beginning to learn.
The issue I run into is that I learned that identifying the declension of a noun means I need to know the genitive. Well…if all I have is the noun as it is written, how ...
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
How to determine when a noun is an objective genitive versus a subjective genitive?
St. Augustine writes in Soliloq. i, 10:
nihil esse sentio quod magis ex arce deiiciat animum virilem quam blandimenta feminæ, corporumque ille contactus sine quo uxor haberi non potest.
Is the ...
- 3,586
6
votes
2
answers
316
views
Habeo with genitive
Sīc scrīpsit Forcellīni:
K Græcorum littera est, non Latinorum, qui ejus loco c habent ejusdem potestatis.
What is the significance of the genitive case with habeō?
I gather that the sentence above ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
1
answer
71
views
Synchronization primitive in latin
I want to translate in to latin some of the names for the synchronization primitives I am programming.
https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/os/sync.html
Semaphore was quite easy, since it means a ...
- 41
7
votes
1
answer
326
views
What does "facti" mean in this sentence?
I am starting to read the "Novellae" in the Corpus Iuris Civilis and this sentence from the first one is confusing to read: 'et Tzanī nunc prīmum sub Rōmānōrum factī rēpublicā inter ...
6
votes
1
answer
203
views
What is the syntax of ‘quamquam omnis secrētī capācissima’?
In Pliny’s letter 1.12, when he describes his meeting with his Domitian-hating friend, he mentions how all servants would leave when close friends came by, and even his wife ‘who was fully capable of ...
- 3,379
9
votes
2
answers
427
views
Why are descriptive subjects in the genitive?
I notice that in the De Naturis Animantium of Suetonius, he uses the genitive to describe the subjects of behavior. So, for example, he writes est [...] anatum tetrissitare ("it is of ducks to ...
- 6,546
9
votes
3
answers
752
views
Is it grammatically correct to attributively use nominative forms of nouns in New Latin?
There are some muscle names in New Latin that seem to be nouns as far as I can tell, such as flexor and extensor. However, according to several Wikipedia articles for these muscles, they behave as if ...
- 289
6
votes
1
answer
254
views
Which noun is the genitive describing in this sentence?
Beginner here. In "Ad familiam nautae pecuniam portabo", is nautae describing familiam or pecuniam? That is, does this translate to "I will carry the money to the sailor's family" ...
- 63
10
votes
1
answer
482
views
Use of the Genitive
I am new to learning Latin. I have been doing exercises related to the genitive and got one wrong and I am not understanding why. The question was to translate the following into Latin - "We ...
- 103
4
votes
2
answers
228
views
Dealing with 2 genitives "The farmer's daughter loves the waters of the forest"
Would the right translation be this?
Filia agricolae aquas silvae amat
Is this correct? I feel that I'm missing something since the order of the words could be anywhere and then you would just assume ...
- 1,779
4
votes
0
answers
71
views
How to express shared ownership of several individuals
The distinction between shared ownership and private ownership of individuals is well illustrated in Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style:
If Jeanette has some pencils and ...
- 10.5k
5
votes
2
answers
242
views
How would you translate the title "A Song of Ice and Fire" into Classical Latin?
I've seen "Carmen Glaciei Ignisque", but I have some doubt with the use of genitive here.
Can someone help me find examples from classical works that support the use of genitive?
Or find an ...
- 290
8
votes
2
answers
719
views
Where does the final -ς in genitive feminine singularis -ᾱς/-ης/τῆς come from?
The declination pattern for the case endings, as well as the article ὁ, ἡ, τό, seems to fairly closely match that of the grammatical endings you find in Latin:
Case
Latin
Greek
Latin
Greek
Latin
...
- 3,379
5
votes
1
answer
427
views
Is unius an irregular genitive?
I notice that the genitive of unus can apparently be either the regular uni, or can also be unius.
Is this form, unius, just a completely irregular oddity, or is there some logical precedent for it? ...
- 6,546
5
votes
1
answer
147
views
Genitive case: why "litterarum vetustatem" and not "litteras vetustatis"
From time time I encounter a pair of nouns; one noun is in a genitive case, apparently modifies the other, but where I expect them to behave differently. examples:
memoriae tradere litterarum ...
- 10.5k
8
votes
2
answers
685
views
Is "Jacob" genitive in "jubilate deo jacob"?
"Jubilate deo Jacob" is translated everywhere as "rejoice unto the god of Jacob". But from what little I know, Jacob is not in the genitive case. May I ask if this was a ...
- 83
8
votes
2
answers
319
views
Semantic difference between genitive and relational ("belong-to") adjectives
There is class of relational adjectives that their meaning is "belong to" "pertain to" like grammaticus. (maybe that distinction is somewhat artificial, as one can say that magnus ...
- 10.5k
3
votes
1
answer
229
views
Agreement and possessive genitive
What we do in the following example?
I need to combine two words in a phrase: 'professional' and 'holiday'.
There is no adjective 'professional' in Latin or my searching is bad. So I can use the ...
- 329
5
votes
4
answers
150
views
Forming compound word using "Cognitio"
Based on the existing English words describing the diet type of a species with Latin origins, I am struggling to see a clear pattern...
Herbivore: "Herba" + "-vore(vorare)"?
...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
86
views
Colonna as cognomen
I am working on the Italian Renaissance soldier Stefano Colonna.
How would his name be written in Latin, as a label or signature,
Stephanus? What is the proper genitive for "of the Colonna family"?
...
- 51
6
votes
1
answer
516
views
"Habere" VS dative and genitive of possession?
To mean something that is not owned legally, not owned with the meaning of "being the owner", like when I say "We have a pope", could I use "habere" or only the dative or genitive of possession?
Is ...
- 1,746
3
votes
1
answer
423
views
Gerundial arguments selected by verbs taking Genitive: e.g., "Memento moriendi"? "Me paenitet vivendi"?
As a follow-up of two previous questions on Latin grammar, I was wondering if examples like Memento moriendi (cf. Memento mori) and Me paenitet vivendi (cf. Me paenitet vivere) are also attested.
...
- 8,396
3
votes
0
answers
89
views
Zeugma on a genitive noun: extraordinary or prosaic?
This Reddit comment points out that there is a zeugma on a genitive noun in this sentence from the conductus "Sol oritur occasus nescius"* in the Hortus Deliciarum:
Et filiæ fit pater filius
I'd ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
2
answers
159
views
Using genitive and infinitive to describe characteristics
Answering this question, I recalled a somewhat rare construction used to express that an action is characteristic of someone.
Pekkanen's Ars Grammatica (§77.1) gives two examples:
Cuiusvis hominis ...
- 111k
5
votes
1
answer
345
views
The instances where verbs might take the genitive case
In Sixto-Clementine Vulgate we find in Genesis this verse:
poenituit eum quod hominum fecisset in terra (Genesis 6:6)
"hominum" is in the genetive case which I find strange. I try searching for ...
- 10.5k
1
vote
2
answers
71
views
Genitive with assigno
In Ethics, De Dei, Proposition 11, Second demonstration we read:
Cujuscunque rei assignari debet causa seu ratio tam cur existit
quam cur non existit
cujuscunque rei is genitive, but ...
- 1,557
3
votes
2
answers
106
views
On the use (or not) of genitive in some verses of the Vulgata
I'm a bit puzzled with some verses of the Vulgata, regarding the use or not of genitive. Consider 3 Regnum (1 Kings in non LXX-based bibles). Verses 13-15 in Chapter 10 go as follows:
[13] Rex ...
- 12.3k
8
votes
3
answers
903
views
Differentiating possessive and non-possessive uses of the genitive
In English, genitives formed with " 's " often have a possessive meaning, while "of" may function to form a kind of "genitive" with a non-possessive meaning, e.g., compare "John's photo" and "a photo ...
6
votes
1
answer
77
views
Translating "order of protection and conservation"
An author friend recently asked me for help with a Latin name: in his book, a group calls itself the "order of protection and conservation", but in Latin to be pretentious (altum videtur…).
My ...
- 65.1k
4
votes
2
answers
430
views
Why is plural of “mons pubis” not “montes pubum”
Latin newbie here. Was talking with a friend about Martian landforms like Olympus Mons. Then we talked about other uses of mons, like mons pubis. But then I realized I didn’t understand something.
...
- 41
3
votes
2
answers
651
views
Plural genitive in 1st and 2nd declension - how were mixed genders treated?
Genitive plural personal nouns in 1st and 2nd declension: I am wondering how human possessors of mixed gender were treated in ancient Latin. For example, how would the following possessive be ...
- 31
4
votes
1
answer
310
views
How should "Aurora's Vow" be translated into Latin?
I haven't taken Latin in a few years, so forgive me for any simple mistakes.
I'm trying to translate "Aurora's Vow" from English to Latin for the title of a song I'm writing. My question is how it ...
- 141
6
votes
2
answers
417
views
Mors mea or mors meī?
If I wanted to talk about "the death of Caesar", I wouldn't think twice about using the genitive (mors Caesaris). But if you asked me what sort of genitive this is—possessive, partitive, or objective—...
- 65.1k
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Translation: Out of my death, new life
I took a Latin course a few years ago, and now I'm trying my hand for a friend's tattoo.
Is my translation of the title correct?
English: Out of my death, new life.
Latin attempt: Ex mei mortis ...
5
votes
1
answer
117
views
Ambiguity in "Illīus hominis fīlium laudābant omnēs"?
Each question below assumes that any previous question has been answered with a yes.
Is ille ever used alone as that is used in this sentence?
That is a good idea.
Is illīus ever used alone as of ...
- 1,493
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Using "ad" vs. dative
The self-exercises in CAPVT VIII of Wheelock's Latin (7th Edition) include the following sentence (#11):
Litterās ad virginem scrībit.
He is writing a letter to the maiden.
I'm confused about ...
- 221
2
votes
1
answer
332
views
What case is virtutis in "prope virum summae virtutis sto"?
Consider the sentence, "prope virum summae virtutis sto." What case is virtutis and why?
I'm pretty sure that it is genitive due to description, but I'm not sure. In case it helps, I translated it as,...
- 83
5
votes
2
answers
512
views
Plural genitive endings in -i
This is a speculative question that (I hope) has a good answer from historical linguistics.
My starting observation was that all nouns appear to have a plural genitive ending in -um: -arum, -orum, -(...
- 39.6k
6
votes
1
answer
329
views
Are there Roman examples of "of Rome" instead of "Roman"?
In my experience it is extremely common to say, for example, rex Romanus instead of rex Romae.
In fact, I do not recall ever seeing a genitive when a local adjective can be used.
Translating to ...
- 111k
4
votes
2
answers
306
views
Genitive of Sappho: Sapphonis or Sapphus?
As I posted on the Wiktionary Tea Room:
Consulting Bergk's edition of Sappho, I have seem various instances of this genitive "Sapphonis" (e.g. «Sapphonis esse videtur») in the critical notes. This ...
- 3,275
8
votes
1
answer
309
views
How common is the genitive plural ending -um in the first declension?
In an answer, Draconis said the genitive plural -um (instead of -arum) is sometimes used in the first declension. Now, while -um is fairly common in poetry and with certain specific words, like deum, ...
- 19.8k
5
votes
1
answer
242
views
What is the proper translation of "Victoriarum Romae" (two genitives in a row)?
I was given the exercise to translate Victoriarum Romae into English.
It's not a part of some bigger text: that's all I was given. I don't feel confident about my translation, "Of the victories of ...
- 971
7
votes
1
answer
122
views
Unnecessary genitive being used with 'suum'
I am not sure how to translate
Augustus affirmāvit genūs suum ab Iove ortum esse.
One can logically conclude that this much of the sentence is correct...
Augustus affirmed that ... ...
- 343
12
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Expressing a possession relationship without the genitive?
I have the following sentence:
Clara est insula Sicilia
What I initially thought:
Sicily is a famous island
(This doesn't seem to make sense considering how the sentence is set up, but who ...
- 971
8
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Expressing the relationship "his" in latin
So I have the following sentence which I have to translate into Latin:
The farmer gives his daughter water.
The parts which I found easy: Agricola ... aquam dat.
I don't know how to express "his" ...
- 971
14
votes
1
answer
408
views
Translating "Nocte volat caelī mediō"
Line 184 of Vergil's Aeneid, Book IV, begins as follows:
Nocte volat caelī mediō
Would this be translated as "She of the sky flies in the middle of the night", or "At night she flies in the middle ...
- 2,083